Your Opinions About Wet Spots Please

[John Raffensberger]

Hello Everyone,

Was doing an inspection on a place that had a drop ceiling in the 1st floor bathroom (always a good idea) and found water stains in several different places - none inside the tub enclosure.

What is more puzzling is that some spots measured in the teens and one spot 50%+. Looking up inside the tiles, no evidence of active leaking was seen. There is a second floor bath/apartment but it's been vacant for months.

The question is: Can this high 50%+ reading be from humidity from the shower?

Thanks, I appreciate your help.

John

[chrisprickett]

Originally posted by John Raffensberger

Hello Everyone,

Was doing an inspection on a place that had a drop ceiling in the 1st floor bathroom (always a good idea) and found water stains in several different places - none inside the tub enclosure.

What is more puzzling is that some spots measured in the teens and one spot 50%+. Looking up inside the tiles, no evidence of active leaking was seen. There is a second floor bath/apartment but it's been vacant for months.

The question is: Can this high 50%+ reading be from humidity from the shower?

Thanks, I appreciate your help.

John

John,

What kind of moisture meter are you using?

[hausdok]

HI,

If it's on an outer wall of the house and the band joist between floors isn't insulated it'll get pretty cold above that ceiling in your climate. Warm moist air will naturally move toward colder/drier air. That vapor diffusion will take advantage of any tiny gaps at the ceiling plane to migrate toward that band joist. As that warm moist air passes through those tiny openings, if the surface around the opening is cool enough, moisture will begin to accumulate on the tiles and will be absorbed into the media and you'll get high moisture readings.

You can get the same type of readings around receptacle boxes on the exterior walls of uninsulated houses, on ceilings where severe ghosting occurs and around window openings with drywall wrapped all the way to the window and then not caulked. It's usually symptomatic of air leaks but in my experience doesn't normally result in anything more than some ghosting and elevated moisture readings. It's more likely to occur when they are relying on a window and not a fan for ventilation. Did the bath have an exhaust fan?

That said, no two houses are alike, so you need to be looking carefully at everything going on there and make sure you've eliminated all other possibilities, such as an uninsulated, corrugated fan duct above the ceiling that might be condensing water that is dripping onto the ceiling. Or, if you got the readings when scanning in radio mode, perhaps your meter is just reacting to the metal of the suspended ceiling grid.

There are so many possibilities that maybe you don't want to know the answer. Ask yourself what you would have done and how you would have reported this if the ceiling hadn't been a dropped type. You can't get in trouble pointing out water stains on a ceiling, taking readings and then telling the client that you've got high readings and think it warrants further investigation and needs to be corrected as necessary, but you might get in trouble if you start diagnosing things, the client relies on your diagnosis and you're wrong. The standard is exposed to view and apparent at the time and date of the inspection.

Hmmm?

ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!!

Mike

[John Raffensberger]

Thanks for the responses. I'm using a new protimeter mini.

The bath does have an exhaust fan and a window. The weather lately has been warm and humid so I wouldn't think that condensation in the space would be the issue. This was the second time I walked through with the owner both times I saw the same thing.

You're right about diagnosing issues, I try to stay away from it and that's how I wrote it up. This is actually more for me. Just want to know if the moisture levels could get that high just from the shower?

Thanks again

John

[Jack Ahern]

John--- In my other life I was an acoustical contractor(installer). There are some tiles that are sold correctly for bathroom use. Without getting too technical---Rails(tee bars) should be ss or aluminum. Hanging wire should be ss. Tile should be water PROOF. Any other tile will absorb moisture--promoting mold/mildew etc.These tiles will then bow from the moisture(weight). The big boxes do not sell waterproof tile. Need to go to Kamco Supply in NH/Me/Ma for the correct tile.

Any time you see acoustical tile installation in a residence, Probably is a Saturday/Sunday project for the home handy person.Hugh amatuer electrical opportunity. Structural nightmare. Can not correctly hang these ceilings with a bent nail and skinny wire. I see it all the time in Mass.

Yeah! Yeah! I know! you do not have to lift and look. I do because I need to know[:-banghea

Jack Ahern Needham on the Charles

Bridgton Maine